1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of horse harnesses and in particular to a harness for sulky or harness racing and/or training.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Harness or sulky racing involves a race horse pulling a sulky or cart with the driver being seated within the cart. Typically, the cart is very lightweight--since it is designed for racing--and comprises a utilitarian frame having two wheels and a driver's seat attached thereto. Two shafts extend from or form part of the frame, creating an opening therebetween within which the race horse is positioned. A harness attaches the shafts of the sulky to the horse. The harness also serves the purpose of being the attachment point for the various reins and lines which the driver uses to control the horse. The present invention is not, however, concerned with the latter purpose. Hence, such lines and reins and their connections to the horse and harness need not be further explained or described herein.
Since the harness connects the horse to the sulky, the harness plays an extremely important role in lap times and the horse's ability to win a race. An efficient harness would transfer all of the energy expended by the horse into propelling the sulky. An inefficient harness wastes a portion of the horse's energy in transferring the same to the sulky and results in slower lap times. Also, an inefficient harness unduly restricts the horse's breathing and prevents the horse from achieving the speed he or she may be capable of attaining.
In my prior invention, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,790, issued Nov. 15, 1983, entitled "Harness and Attachment Method," I described a new and improved harness for horses, particularly race horses, pulling a sulky or a cart containing a driver. It is the first sulky racing harness which includes an elastic girth which allows a horse to breath deeply at a time when its lungs are demanding large quantities of air; namely, when the horse is engaged in the competition of racing. Previously, sulky harnesses utilized a nonstretchable leather girth around the horse's chest. My new harness has been an unqualified success, not only as far as allowing a horse to breath more easily, but in other respects as well. The harness limits fore and aft movement of the sulky relative to the horse allowing the sulky to track in better unison with the movement of the horse. In essence, it achieves more efficient energy transfer allowing lower lap times.
This is not to say, however, that there are no further improvements that can be made to sulky harnesses, nor that certain racehorses might not perform better with a different version of an elastic girth harness. In testing, it has been determined that certain racehorses do better with a harness that not only restricts fore and aft movement of the sulky but also on that allows relative angular motion in a vertical plane between the two shafts of a sulky (helpful when a horse is going around a curve and drops one shoulder) and does not transmit excess force to the harness causing the harness to shift in position on the horse and/or causing the horse to be restrictlve in its movements.
Accordingly, objects of the present invention are to provide a harness for a horse pulling a sulky which prevents fore and aft movement of the sulky relative to the motion of a horse, which provides a secure attachment of the sulky shafts to a harness, which allows relative angular movement in a vertical plane between the two sulky shafts, which allows relative horizontal motion and angularity between the horse and the sulky, and which does not transmit excessive force from the shafts of the sulky to the harness tending to shift the harness and/or restrict the movement of the horse. Although not specifically mentioned, there are, of course, other objects of the invention which are intended to be included within the scope hereof and which other objects will be obvious to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.